, 1887-05-12
SOMETHING ABOUT LIBERIA.
Tho Little Republic OF Black Men ON
Africa's Coast.

Tho Little Republic Of Black Men ON
Africa's Coast.
Especial Correspondcuce.l
New York, April 20.
Tho little republic OF Liberia, on the west
coast Of Africa, is now just forty years old.
Though the beginning OF the country as a
civilized colony under the efforts of Henry
| Clay, dates back seventy-one years ago. 1t did
not assume It's entire indepe ndence until 1S47.
The presence now In this city Of Mrs. NJ. II.
G. Barboza, a daughter Of H. II. Garnet, the
late Unit,d States minister to that country,
| has enabled us to collect q few interesting
| facts concerning 1t.
Liberia represents u tract Of territory about
| 800 miles in length along the coast and which,
generally speaking, Is about fifty miles In
width. II has pleasantly diversified surface,
| Ii well watered and furnishes the fruits and
products Of the tropical zone. Agriculture Is
the dominating interest, and coffee. sugar,
cotton, rice and ginger are among the staple
crops produced. Milk IL very scarce--the
milk of cows-and retails at twelve cents or
| more quart Only very wealthy man can
| afford to keep COW, so that the owner of a
COW there is as conspicuous for his love OF
luxury and ability to command it as the
owner OF yacht Is In England or America.
| The milk OF the common or average people IL
drawn from goats.
The people seem to be divided into two
c''sses-those who are civilized and possess
citizenship and the ignorant tribes who are
wholly native. Only the former class and
not all Of that, belongs to the body politic as
it requires, among other things, the possession
Of certain amount Of real estate to be able
to vote The population (civilzeD numbers
about $4,000. Persons from the ignorant
classes are from time to time added to the
| state constituency through influences Of edu-
cation; but unless they are so transferred
| they do not count In the census II 10 under
stood that the very few whites who live In
Liberia are there simply for the temporary
purpose OF trade. They cannot take part In
the government or gain a title to land.
The houses and public buildings Of Liberia
are built either Of brick or wood, and are
furnished in the way houses Of that sort gener-
ally are. Stoves, however, are not used, but
fireplaces are, with wood for fuel Among
the forest woods of most Importance are
ebony, rosewood and mahogany. There is
also kind Of redwood. A tree, the timber
OF which is called birthstone wood, admits OF
q very high yellow polish. The wismore is
also n remarkable tree, and there are not
wanting species of oak and pine. Dyewoods
and logwoods are numerous.
In the matter OF mineral wealth, Liberia
furnishes marble, mica and IRON The iron is
of very superior quality.
| Mrs. Barboza says that the people are
enabled to make excellent roads out of very
curious material-the mour Is OF the Termite
ants, whose cells in tho interior OF these
mimic mountains are n most wonderful con-
struction. The ants go very far down in the
earth and bring up sand and rock for their
habitation, which they work into something
like rough bits Of coral. This material--for
the mounds are very numerous--can be OBJ
| ia Out nd
spread over the town streets and the roads
leading therefrom. 1t makes "a surface equally
as good as macadam, but has the appear
ance Of concrete. When the ants hills are
disturbed they abandon them.
In spite Of the good roads referred to
horses are not commonly used, particularly
In the towns and OH the coast. Oxen do duty
for draft, and people who travel are carried
in palankeens. The government has q good
system Of schools, and churches abound. The
republic is. directly modelled after ours i'm its
executive, legislative and judicial features.
The president holds his office for two years, As
tho representatives do theirs, while the sena.
tors hold for four years. The president POW
in office Is II. r. w. johnson. He is in his
second term, and is now running third time
for the presidency, which is not violation
of either the written or unwritten laws there,
and which shows his popularity. The two
partieS WHICH carry Oh pOlitlcS III 1IlDerla are
the Wing and the Republican. The presi.
dent, who is likely to be reelected once more,
represents the Wing party. The election day
occurs early in May.
Monrovia, the headquarters of the govern.
ment, and named after one OF our presidents,
contains only about 1900 people A much
larger town is Grand Bassa. Liberia gets
along without banks, though it must be that
prominent mercantile firms do this style OF
business in addition to their own. 1t also
thrives without our omnipresent saloon.
There are lawyers there, however.
Some of the names of the natives are curl.
ous. Barfofa means "leader of his people. u
FarQuakwe means IA chief" aud Bahkur "a
great talker." The man who bears this name,
it Is no surprise to hear, is lawyer. The
seasons in Liberia are not SO much different
from those on this continent OF the same iso-
thermal line They are called the dry and
| the wet seasons The dry season lasts from
November until the third week in March,
while the distinct rainy season includes July
and August. There are, however, early spring
and summer rains. The government paper
currency, which Is black and white in color,
Is manufactured in England.
Mrs. Barboza, who has given us these facts,
Is the principal Of the Garnet Memorial school
| in Brewersville, Liberia, which IL an academy
for young ladies, partially endowed by the
government. 1t has now seventy eight pupils.
AS an indication that the cost Of living can
not be great in this country, We observe that
hoard a pupil for one year" In this school.
Nor can education be expensive, when SIS,
the price Of a scholarship, "pays for eighteeri
terms, or six years, tuition.
JOEL BENTON.